Magazine for firearms



May 9, 1950 c. H. BENSON MAGAZINE FOR FIREARMS Filed Au 8, 1947 3 W Carliienszm Patented May 9, 1950 MAGAZINE FOR FIREARMS Application August 8,1947, Serial No. 767,509

2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to magazines for firearms, and moreparticularly to a box type magazine adapted to hold a plurality ofcartridges in position to be fed, one at a time, into the chamber of thebarrel of a repeating firearm.

In some instances firearms, and particularly rifles, are adapted toreceive in the chambers of their barrels, cartridges of the same calibrebut of difierent lengths. This especially is true in respect to .22calibre repeating rifles, which are so chambered that they are adaptedto receive either .22 short, .22 long, or .22 long rifle cartridges.

One object of this invention is to provide a single magazine which maybe readily adapted to receive, carry, and efficiently permit the feedingof cartridges of the same calibre but of different lengths.

Another object of this invention is to provide a box type cartridgemagazine for a firearm having means to readily convert it from a longcartridge holding magazine into a. short cartridge holding magazine, orvice versa.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved cartridgemagazine for firearms which will be relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, simple in construction, compact, of pleasing appearance,and which is very efficient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, there has been illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings one form in which the features and principles of this inventionmay be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a broken side view of a firearm having a box type cartridgemagazine operatively associated therewith in which the features andprinciples of this invention are embodied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the cartridge magazine shown inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged front view of the same;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 2 andshowing the magazine adapted for use to hold relatively shortcartridges; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

For the purpose of illustrating a practical application of the novelfeatures and principles of this invention, parts of a bolt action rifleof a well-known form is shown in Figure 1 having the improved form ofbox-type cartridge magazine of this invention operatively associatedtherewith. In such forms of firearms, a bolt II is slidably mounted in areceiver H for the purpose, among others, of forcing a cartridge l3 fromthe mouth of a box-type magazine l4 into a chamber l5, adapted toreceive cartridges of 2 the same calibre but of different lengths andformed in the breech end of a barrel l6, and to lock it in suchposition.

The magazine It may be detachabiy secured to the receiver I2 by anysuitable means and. extends upwardly through an opening formed in theunderside of the receiver 2. to properly position the upper edges I"!and [8, of its sides It and 2|, for them to act as guides for thecartridge l3 as it is forced into the chamber It by the bolt l I. In theform of magazine shown one piece of sheet metal is folded over to form acasing of box-like structure having a front end plate 22 from which thesides I9 and 2| extend rearwardly. The rear edges 23 and 2d of the sidesI9 and 2! respectively,

are folded inwardly toward each other, being spaced apart to permit acatch tongue 25 to be disposed between them. The rear end of themagazine is closed by a plate at which has its side edges secured to thesides l9 and 2! in any suitable manner and acts as a guide for thecartridge l3, and rear primer ends of which engage and slid along thesame as they move upwardly in the magazine M.

The magazine I4 is of sufficient depth to receive a plurality, six orseven, cartridges, and is of sufiicient length to receive cartridges ofthe maximum length provided for the calibre desired. For instance, when.22 calibre cartridges are to be used, the length of the magazine issufficient to receive a .22 long rifle cartridge 27, see dotted linesFig. 4. The cartridges l3 and 2! both being .22 calibre, are disposed inthe magazine l4 in vertical superimposed position, the lower one beingsupported upon a follower 28 which is slidably mounted in the magazinel4 and is guided by'the sides l9 and 2|, and the end plates 22 and 26thereof. A coiled spring 29 is provided and positioned to react betweenthe follower 28 and a cover plate 3|, which is provided to form thebottom of the magazine M, to urge the cartridge upwardly to position theupper one in front of the bolt H. The cartridges in the magazine M areretained against being pushed upwardly out of its open upper end ormouth by inturned lips 32 and 33 formed from the material of themagazine sides l9 and 2!, respectively. Notches 3d and 35 cut in thesides l9 and 2| respectively at their upper edges permit the release ofthe cartridge being pushed forwardly by the bolt ID from the retainingaction of the lips 32 and 33.

As illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 4, the .22 calibre shortcartridge I3 is considerably shorter than the .22 long rifle cartridge2'! and, if used in a magazine ofsufiicient length to receive long riflecartridges 21, would tend to slip forwardly out of vertical alignment inthe magazine, and.

also tend to tilt downwardly, when it is pushed forwardly by the bolt lI and become jammed between the bolt II and the forward end of themagazine, or to tilt downwardly enough to not properly enter the bore [5f the barrel 16. To obviate these disadvantages, a member 35 is providedwhich may be readily inserted in and removed from the magazine M at itsupper open 7 end. The member, or spacer, 36 is preferably of relativelythin spring steel and extends downwardly from the open upperend of themagazine It through a slot 31 providedin the .iol1ower'28 and lieswithin the coils of the spring 29. The spacer 36 is spring, or biased,tensioned and is slightly sprung toward the front end 22 of the magazineIt to constantly engage and bear against the front edge of the slot 31in the follower 28, which front edge provides a rearwardly directedshoulder, whereby the spacer 3% will be maintained in proper cartridgeguiding position substantially its entire length 'by the follower 23during the 'latters movement within the magazine M. The lower portion ofthespacer '36 is free to move forwardly and rearwardly in the magazineand its lower end is spaced upwardly from the bottom cover plate 3!. Thefollower 28 is provided with elongated depending arms 38 and 39, whichbear, respectively against the magazine end plates 22 and 26 to preventtilting of the follower 28 and to guide it in its movements in themagazine I4. The follower 28 also has depending side flanges ii and 42which bear, respectively, against the sides I9 and 2| of me magazine It.

Suitable means is provided to releasably lock the spacer 36 to the upperopen end of the magazine M- and includes a horizontal portion extendingforwardly from the upper end of the spacer '35 to beyond the front endof the magazine Hi, overlying the upper edge of the front plate 22, andbeing disposed between the magazine sides Iii and 2|. The magazine sides19 and 2! extend upwardly beyond the front plate 22 and are transverselyslotted, as at 44 and 4:5 respectively to provide rearwardly directedshoulders 46 and 41. Tongues "t8 and 49, extending one fromeach sideedge of the spacer portion #3, seat against the shoulders 66 and 41respectively to locate the upper end of the spacer 36 in propercartridge locating position when the follower 25 is in its lowermostposition in the magazine M.

The outer end 56 of the spacer portion 43 is extended downwardly andbent inwardly toward and into engagement with the magazine end plate 22and its lower end 52 is slightly curved away from the plate-'22 toprovide a manipulating member. Intermediate the end of the portion 43and the lower end 52 and substantially at the point of contact with theplate 22, tongues 53 and '54 extend rearwardly from the side edges ofthe end 51. Slots 55 and 56 are provided in the magazine sides 19 and 21to respectively receive the tongues 5.3 and 54. The extreme rear ends 51of the tongues 53 and 54 are outwardly spaced apartslightly more thanthe portions '58 thereof to straddle the magazine and by enga ing thesides thereof to spring the tongues apart to assist in guiding thetongue portions 58 into the slots 55 and 56.

By the provision of a spacer 36 in combination with a magazinestructure, as above described, a box magazine may be relativelyinexpensively manufactured and readily converted from one suitablyadapted to hold and feed cartridges of one length, to one suitablyadapted to hold and feed cartridges of another length. .By providing aspacer which is detachably locked in place by means located at the upperend of the magazine, which end is inserted into a firearm for usetherewith, accidental release of the spacer during use of the firearm isobviated. The arrangement whereby the follower locates the spacersubstantially its entire length and maintains it under constant tensionto press tongues at its upper end against locating shoulders insuresconstant efficient operation of the spacer.

While there has been shown and described herein a preferred form inwhich the features and principles of this invention are practicallyembodied, it will be understood that the same may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit and essentialattributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the presentembodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, reference being had to the claims rather than to theforegoing description to indicate the scope of the invention,

Having thus fully disclosed the invention, what is claimed as new andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a box magazine, front and rear walls spaced apart to receivecartridges relatively long in length therebetween, and a spacercomprising a narrow strip of relatively thin material 'ex- 7 tendingdownwardly from the top of said magawith its depending portion free tomove rearwardly and forwardly in the magazine, means movable lengthwisein the magazine to space and support the depending portion of the spacerfrom the rear wall to convert the magazine into one to receivecartridges relatively short in length between the rear wall and thespacer, means to space the upper end of the spacer from the rear wall,the material of the upper end of said spacer being extended forwardlyand bent downwardly over the front wall, and means to releasably lockthe bent downwardly portion and the spacer to said magazine.

2. In a Ebox magazine, front and rear walls spaced apart to receivecartridges relatively long in length therebetween, and a spacercomprising a narrow strip of relatively thin material extendingdownwardly from'the top of said magazine with its depending portion freeto move rearwardly and forwardly in the magazine, means movablelengthwise in the magazine to space and support the depending portion ofthe spacer from the rear wall to convert the magazine into one toreceive cartridges relatively short in length between the rear wall andthespacer, means to space the upper end of the spacer from the rearwall,'the material of the upper end of said spacer being extendedforwardly and bent downwardly over the front-wall, said front wallhaving a slot in its side edge, and a tongue extending rearwardly fromthesaid bent downwardly portion adapted to snap into the slot in theside edge The following references are of record in the file of thispatent: 1

UNITED STATES "PATENTS Number Name Date 1,401,152 Green Dec. .27, 1921Boudreau Mar. 19, 19%

